"The supreme happiness of life consists in the conviction that one is loved" - Victor Hugo We all need to belong, to connect, to love and be loved. It is our divine nature for we are soul-wired for love and connection. The Sufi poet, Rumi beautifully expresses, "Love is the vital core of the soul. And of all you see, only love is infinite." Being and expressing love in spiritual connection with others is our divine legacy and why we are here. How many of us really know what we intend when we say, "I love you." Time and again, we look to the dictionary definition of love with its emphasis on romantic love for its meaning. We read about … [Read more...]
Forgiving Our Past Relationships
The more we forgive the past, the more we open our hearts in loving compassion. In forgiving anyone or anything, we dissolve the past and sever any negative energy to the person or process. Forgiveness allows us to let go of the emotional attachment we have and with the positive energy that returns to us, we create space in our heart to love. This hit home for me recently when I was finally able to put my mother's disappearance to rest. After finding a marriage certificate that placed my mother in Cleveland in 1968, my friend Michael and I continued the search for her with new information in hand. We tried exploring military records, but … [Read more...]
Releasing Co-Dependent Patterns in Your Relationships
Co-dependent patterns often lure us into a parade of superficial relationships, emotional crutches we use to avoid our feelings of lovelessness and insecurity. We look for love and security outside of ourselves and in intimate relationships to distract us from feelings of spiritual disconnection. Such unhealthy relationships woven of the co-dependent patterns of two people keeps them from developing a whole and complete relationship with themselves. Our fear of spiritual disconnection is a universal experience. Painful feelings that we are unworthy of love occur early in life as a result of our disconnection with the divine source of who we … [Read more...]
Our Heart: The GPS of Our Soul
Our heart is the GPS of our soul. It senses and transmits energy bypassing the brain so we receive spiritual information. Every person is born with this ability to be an open channel to their soul. However, each person tunes in to this energy flow differently. How open we are and how much we trust ourselves determines the extent this energy can be used. For some of us, it's natural and easy and for others, it takes continuous practice. Yet, for all of us, channeling this divine source of energy creates a fulfilling and purposeful life and sustains all that is well and good.The eyes in our heart are the window to our soul. Tuning in to our … [Read more...]
Diving Into Trust
Diving into trust allows us to easily let go of everything that impedes the positive flow of energy in our lives. Our flow is interrupted when we have any expectation for a particular outcome. Expectations of ourselves, others, or any situation are our greatest obstacles to sustaining our flow. When we let go into trust, we consistently recognize and release any energy blocks that interrupts this flow and restores balance. This level of absolute trust is the greatest gift we can give ourselves. While on a diving vacation in Roatan, Honduras, I realized the power of letting go into trust. Last June, I had completed my open water dive … [Read more...]
Letting It All Be
John Lennon's inspirational song "Let It Be" speaks of a spiritual principle that can profoundly change our lives. As a practice, letting it be flows from an open loving heart where we trust the divine unfolding of our lives. It moves us beyond letting go for it starts with zero expectations of how someone or something "should be" that only sets us up for disappointment-even with ourselves. It encourages compassion, forgiveness and acceptance of ourselves and others no matter what our journeys may be. For me, letting it all be is letting my entire life be without judgment and with forgiving the past. This hit home for me recently when my … [Read more...]
Being Vulnerable Opens Us to Authenticity
Being vulnerable opens us to our authenticity-our most precious, cherished self. Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable takes tremendous strength of heart; yet not nearly as much time, energy and stress as running away from it. We must move toward our fear, trauma, and pain. In embracing it, we can acknowledge our hurt without hurting back, When we stay with our insecurity, shakiness, and broken heart, we awaken to our authenticity. Ultimately, we are light and love. An example of being vulnerable was when I took my first NIA class. NIA is a sensory-based movement practice that incorporates dance, and the martial and healing arts. It empowers … [Read more...]
The Courage to Be Who We Are
"Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do." Brene BrownIt takes courage to be who we are in the world. Courage comes from the Latin word for "heart." To be courageous is to be open-hearted, speaking our truth honestly and openly with our whole heart. In other words, sharing our most intimate thoughts, feelings and experiences that comprise our true being.Loving ourselves enough to reveal our deepest vulnerabilities is the most courageous choice we can make. Unlike bravery which is externally motivated, courage comes from within. It sources deep within our hearts as self-love, … [Read more...]
Living in the Flow of Love
"There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance." John LennonLiving in love creates a constant flow of positive energy which dissolves fear, insecurity and negativity. We are love-a whole and complete energy without limits or boundaries. Living as the embodiment of love, we obliterate all negativity and sustain all that is well and good. It lifts us beyond the drone of the human condition and reminds us that we are this divine energy source capable of creating a fulfilling and purposeful … [Read more...]
Loving Others Begins with Loving Ourselves
"Those that go searching for love only manifest their own lovelessness, and the loveless never find love, only the loving find love, and they never have to seek it." D. H. Lawrence As philosopher Eric Fromm states in The Art of Loving, "What matters in relation to love is the faith in one's own love; in its ability to produce love in others. We are only capable of knowing and caring for another if we are also capable of understanding caring and knowing ourselves." In other words, the most powerful way to attract and experience great love, is to embody it. Being in an authentic relationship requires us to first open our hearts and then … [Read more...]
